Page:The New View of Hell.djvu/27

 "This tenet, that the understanding is to be kept in subjection to faith, is rejected in the New Church; and in its place, this is to be received as a maxim, that the truth of the church should be seen in order that it may be believed. . . . What is truth not seen, but a voice not understood?" And again he says: "The angels have wisdom in consequence of seeing truths. Wherefore when it is said to any angel that this or that is to be believed although it is not understood, the angel replies, Do you suppose me to be insane, or that you yourself are a god whom I am bound to believe?"

This Dispensation, moreover, is catholic, comprehensive, universal, in its spirit. It breathes throughout the sweetest charity. It inculcates the largest liberty of thought. It encourages the utmost freedom of religious inquiry. It asserts with new and increased emphasis the great Protestant principle—the right of private judgment in matters of faith, however that judgment may differ from the solemn decree of popes, prelates, councils, synods, assemblies or conventions. It upholds, therefore, and furnishes new and powerful weapons in defence of religious liberty. It is tolerant of all forms of error, innocently imbibed and conscientiously held, and shows the possibility of salvation under all of them. It condemns no individual, no sect, no people—not even Mahometans or Pagans—merely on account of their beliefs; but teaches that infinite Love is for ever brooding over all; and for ever seeking, through such forms of faith